Here are the strategies our teachers recommend most highly. Keep your goodbye short, warm, and consistent. Prolonged, anxious farewells actually extend distress rather than reducing it. A big warm hug, a confident “I love you, I’ll see you at pick-up time,” and a clear, swift handover to the teacher is the most effective goodbye. Your confidence is genuinely contagious — children take their emotional cues from you.

Create a goodbye ritual. It can be as simple as three kisses and a wave at the door, or a special handshake. Rituals are predictable and comforting — they tell your child exactly what will happen and create a clear endpoint to the separation moment.

Avoid sneaking away. While it may feel kinder in the moment, disappearing without saying goodbye increases anxiety in the long run, because your child learns that you might vanish at any moment.